Two thousand volunteers have been trained as part of the Community Learning Champions Support programme, which ran from 2009 to 2011.
The three million pound initiative was funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, with the WEA as one of the organisations appointed to oversee the project.
All 2,000 volunteers were trained as part of the programme to become Community Learning Champions (CLCs) to bring learning to some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. This was done through volunteer-led projects regionally and locally.
The CLCs went on to help 100,000 people - 70 per cent of which were unemployed - to find their way into learning, training and paid employment. The programme supported individuals with disabilities, mental ill-health and homeless people to use informal learning to help transform their lives.
"Community Learning Champions", the project's concluding report, has just been published and offers insights into community and volunteer development and the role of adult education in supporting disadvantaged adults and groups.
The report describes many of the project's learning activities and their impact on individuals and communities, as well as the programme's overall achievements. On the right, Stephanie Pickett, the first CLC on the national register shows off her Community Learning Champion badge, presented to her by the Mayor of Coventry. Stephanie is with Louise Williams (right) of the WEA West Midlands.
The CLC programme was delivered in partnership by NIACE, the WEA, Unionlearn and Martin Yarnit Associates.